Which medication is a vasodilator that reduces cardiac workload?

• A. Aspirin
• B. Cardiac Tamponade
• C. Nitroglycerin
• D. Pulmonary Edema

Answer: (C)

Reducing the heart’s workload comes from lowering the amount of blood the heart has to handle and the pressure it must pump against. Nitroglycerin does this by releasing nitric oxide, which relaxes vascular smooth muscle. It dilates veins more than arteries at typical doses, so venodilation lowers venous return, decreases left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and reduces wall tension. This drop in preload—and, with higher doses, some afterload reduction—lowers myocardial oxygen demand and makes the heart work less hard. Aspirin isn’t a vasodilator; it’s an antiplatelet. Cardiac tamponade and pulmonary edema describe conditions, not drugs. So nitroglycerin is the medication that best fits as a vasodilator reducing cardiac workload.